Hey everyone,
This is a big one. We've been heads-down for 2 weeks or so since the last release working on a update that touches various corners of the game.
This update was also shaped by your feedback, and we managed to make some changes (even if they seem small!, based on feedback). So a huge thank you to the players who took the time to write detailed posts about their experience. We listen, and we will act on feedback!
Here's what's in this release.
NEW FEATURE: SPACE VENTURE (PASSION PROJECT)
Space Venture is a brand new passion project, a management sub-game where you build and run your own private space program.
This isn't a simple side activity. It's a interactive progression system with its own research tree, vehicle builder, mission board, facilities, and launch mechanics. Think of it as a game-within-the-game that grows from scrappy garage rocketry into a serious orbital program.
This is only release 1, so we will revisit this again in the future (e.g., adding more graphical layers etc), but for now, what's included:
5-stage progression system -- from Garage Rocketry (lots of explosions) through Test Program, Orbital Reach, Deep Space, and eventually Mars and Beyond
Modular vehicle builder -- pick from 5 part categories (command modules, engines, fuel tanks, structures, payloads) to assemble your rocket. Every stat matters: thrust-to-weight ratio, reliability, fuel capacity
12 missions across all difficulty tiers -- from Static Fire Tests to deploying satellites to sending probes to Mars
Research tree with 15 nodes -- unlock better parts, new missions, and bonuses as you progress. Research now takes real in-game time (no instant unlocks) with research slots based on your lab level
5 upgradeable facilities -- Workshop, Test Stand, Launch Pad, Research Lab, and Tracking Station, each with 3 upgrade tiers that meaningfully change what you can do
Outcome-based launch resolution -- not physics simulation, but a proper weighted system factoring in your vehicle stats, research level, facility bonuses, mission difficulty, weather conditions, and a splash of RNG. Every launch feels consequential
Failure is never wasted -- even catastrophic failures earn research points and "lessons learned." Every test teaches you something
Launch sites and weather -- choose from 4 launch sites around the world, each with different characteristics. Weather at each site changes weekly and affects your launch success. Plan around it
Launch scheduling and calendar -- no more spamming 7 launches in the same week. You schedule launches on specific weeks at specific sites, with cooldown periods between launches at the same site
Launch day popup -- when your scheduled launch arrives, you get a notification dock (similar to a phone call) where you can watch the countdown and launch animation, or skip ahead
Program setup wizard -- name your space program when you start
Vehicle presets -- save and load your favourite rocket configurations
Part wear and degradation -- parts lose reliability over repeated use
Random inter-launch events -- things happen between launches that affect your program
Launch history dashboard with stats, timeline, and program journal
Milestone celebrations for major firsts (first orbit, first satellite, etc.)
Full financial integration -- space program expenses appear on your main finance/bank pages, and space activities affect your stock price and IPO valuation
Important note: This is the foundation. Space Venture (as well as our racing passion project) is designed to be expanded over time. We have plans for multi-stage vehicles, external contracts, animated launch sequences, competitor space programs, Mars campaign chains, space station construction, and more. This release lays the groundwork , so expect it to grow significantly in future updates.
NEW FEATURE: RACING TEAM MINOR UPDATES
The Racing Team passion project has been overhauled with a new interactive experience:
Race weekend dock popup -- when a race weekend arrives, you now get an interactive notification dock (not a blocking modal) where you choose your race strategy
Three strategy options -- Aggressive, Balanced, or Conservative, each with real trade-offs
Race animation -- watch the lights go out and the race unfold with a multi-step animation sequence
Detailed race reports -- see driver positions, points scored, race events, and strategy impact after each race
Stacking with Space Venture -- both dock popups can appear simultaneously, stacked so neither blocks the other. No more missing events
Like Space Venture, the Racing Team is a foundation we'll continue building on. More depth, more strategy, more to manage.
STEAM ACHIEVEMENTS
ConsoleMe now has Steam Achievements. This first pass includes 10 achievements:
First Steps -- Release your first game
Catalog Builder -- Release five games
Millionaire -- Reach 1 million dollars cash
Critical Darling -- Release a game with 90+ review score
One Year In -- Survive 52 weeks
Industry Respect -- Reach 80 reputation
Growing Team -- Have 10 staff members
Revenue Champion -- Earn 1 million dollars total revenue
To The Stars -- Reach orbit in your Space Venture
Silver Screen -- Release your first movie
Achievement unlocks now show rich toast notifications with custom artwork for each achievement. You can also view all your achievements in the Trophy Room's Achievement Gallery, complete with a progress ring showing your overall completion.
More achievements will be added in future updates.
QUALITY OF LIFE UPDATES
Mix and Themes UX
Tag description overhaul -- every single tag (all 193 of them across Setting, Mechanic, and Flavour categories) now has a hover description explaining what it means for your game. No more staring at "Beach Chair" wondering what it does
Theme category prominence, the Theme category (Action, Adventure, Horror, Sci-Fi, etc.) is now much more clearly separated and prominent in the wizard
Loans and Banking
Tiered loan system. Loans are now split into three tiers (Startup, Business, Corporate) with different limits, rates, and terms. Your borrowing power grows as your studio grows
Loan cap explanation. the Bank screen now clearly explains that your borrowing limit is tied to your revenue history. That 20k cap at the start isn't a bug -- the bank just doesn't trust a brand new studio yet
Loan interest/repayment visualisation. see a full amortisation breakdown with total cost summaries, principal vs. interest bars, and quarterly schedule charts before you borrow
Confirmation dialog. accidentally clicking away from the loan form no longer loses your input. You'll get a confirmation prompt first
Quick-select amount buttons. 25%, 50%, 75%, and Max buttons on the loan principal to make it easier to pick an amount
Improved loan card design. the loan tier cards in the Bank are now clearly styled as interactive buttons with hover effects, so you can tell they're clickable
Difficulty Selection
Clearer difficulty info. the difficulty selection now shows exactly what each level means: starting cash, weekly rent, loan cap, and staff costs. No ambiguity about what you're signing up for
Concise dropdown. the difficulty dropdown is now clean and compact, with detailed breakdowns shown below
Early Game Guidance
Expanded advisor system. 15 fire-once contextual hints that trigger at the right moments. Things like "your team is growing faster than your revenue," "your runway is getting thin," "you've got cash sitting idle," or "this game scored well enough for a sequel." All designed to help without hand-holding
Better onboarding signals. the game now gives you clearer direction in the first few weeks
Tooltips
Fixed tooltip clipping. Tooltips on the Staff Attributes screen (morale/fatigue) no longer get clipped by the sidebar
Smart tooltip positioning. tooltips now flip to the top when they would be cut off at the bottom of the screen
Game Pricing
Player-controlled pricing . You can now set and change the price of your released games. Includes a demand curve visualisation showing how price affects sales volume
Price history tracking. see a timeline of every price change with reasons and dates
Publisher pricing display . if a publisher is handling your game, you can see their auto-calculated price on the project detail screen
Post-release price changes . adjust prices from the My Games screen with live demand curve feedback
Post-Release Analysis
Post-mortem screen, every released game now has a detailed post-mortem with financial summary, key metrics, ROI calculation, market timing analysis, and actionable takeaways
Enhanced game-over screen . the game over screen now shows more meaningful data about your run
Player Guide
5 new articles covering Difficulty and New Game Setup, Stock Market and IPO, Achievements, Racing Team, and Space Venture
3 updated articles with expanded sections on loans, term deposits, tag descriptions, and post-release game management
BUG FIXES
Fixed a critical bug where a game project could disappear after initiating a pre-launch event, scheduling a release, and then accepting a crisis event that delayed the release. The project would vanish entirely. This is now fixed , delay events correctly adjust the scheduled release date
Fixed popup overlap issues. the race weekend and space launch dock popups now correctly float above weekly toast notifications instead of being hidden behind them
Fixed race result not showing , after the race animation, the result screen and close button now reliably appear
Fixed Space Venture screen readability , the Space Venture tab no longer has black text on a black background. It now uses proper themed colours consistent with the rest of the game
Fixed Steam achievement API compatibility , resolved a compilation error with the Steamworks API that prevented the game from building
Fixed new game crash , resolved an infinite re-render loop that could occur when starting a new game
WHAT'S NEXT
This update was relatively big, but it's a foundation. Here's where we're headed:
More Space Venture content, like multi-stage vehicles, external contracts, competitor space programs, animated launches, space station construction, Mars campaign
More Racing Team depth, like expanded strategy, team management, facility upgrades, sponsor relationships
More achievements , expanding from 10 to a full set
Continued QoL improvements, we're always reading your feedback
Beyond the passion projects, here's what we're working on for the main game:
Console and hardware loop. deeper console wars mechanics, hardware revisions and mid-gen refreshes, portable/handheld console variants, exclusive game deals with platform holders, and online services that generate recurring revenue from your installed base
Engine licensing. license your custom-built game engines to other studios for passive income. Better engines command higher royalties
Expanded marketing ., like social media campaigns, influencer partnerships, and targeted regional marketing pushes that let you build hype before release day
Fan community. manage your studio's fanbase. Community goodwill affects review scores, launch sales, and how forgiving players are when you ship a rough one
Studio culture depth. office customisation, mentorship programs between senior and junior staff, studio perks, and morale events that go beyond the current culture system
Industry awards, like annual ceremony events where your games compete for Game of the Year, Best Narrative, Best Art, and other categories. Winning boosts reputation and sales
Modding support, enable modding for your released games. Mods extend the sales tail and build community loyalty, but need resources to support
Expanded world events like platform holder rivalries, industry crashes, new technology waves (online multiplayer, mobile, VR, streaming), and regulatory changes that shake up the market
If you find bugs, have suggestions, or just want to tell us about your space program blowing up on the pad, drop a post in the discussions. We read everything.
Thanks for playing ConsoleMe.
-- TheHydraFlash